Forrest Melvill Thomas Jr. (April 21, 1953 – September 9, 2013), known professionally as Forrest, was an American singer, based in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Life and career

Born in

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Gal ...

, where he sang in

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Ch ...

during childhood, he moved to Los Angeles, California as a teen and won several contests there as a singer. After this stage in his career, he moved to the

, where he had a hit in 1983 with the song "

Rock the Boat Rock the Boat may refer to: * "Rock the Boat" (The Hues Corporation song), 1974 * "Rock the Boat" (Aaliyah song), 2001 * "Rock the Boat" (Bob Sinclar song), featuring Pitbull, Dragonfly and Fatman Scoop, 2011 * ''Rock the Boat'', a 2000 televi ...

", a cover of

the Hues Corporation The Hues Corporation was an American pop and soul trio, formed in Santa Monica, California in 1969. They are best known for their 1974 single "Rock the Boat", which sold over 2 million copies. Group name and background Before achieving mainst ...

's 1974 No. 1 US hit. His version peaked at No. 4 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and in his native United States (No. 9

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as ...

). A second single, "

Feel the Need in Me "Feel the Need in Me" is a song written by Abrim Tilmon, a member of the American R&B/soul vocal group the Detroit Emeralds. It was released as a single by the group in October 1972 on the Westbound label. It reached number 4 on the UK Singles C ...

" (originally by

the Detroit Emeralds The Detroit Emeralds are an American R&B/soul vocal group, best known in the early 1970s. They enjoyed a run of successful records in the decade including their 1973 transatlantic hit single, "Feel the Need in Me". Career "The Emeralds" were f ...

), was a hit in the UK, reaching No. 17. A third single, "One Lover (Don't Stop The Show)", peaked at No. 67 in the UK. He and his wife, , a television presenter had two sons, but later separated, after which he began to concentrate again on music. He sang in ''R.E.S.P.E.C.T.'', a theatre show, in 2001, dedicated to 1960s

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became pop ...

. He was asked by DJ Roog to

front Front may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film * '' The Front'', 1976 film Music *The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and e ...

the band Planet Hardsoul, who had a minor hit with their cover of "

Where Did Our Love Go "Where Did Our Love Go" is a 1964 song recorded by American music group the Supremes for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, "Where Did Our Love Go" was the first single by the Supr ...

". In December 2012, Thomas married again, to Diana van Lippen.

Death

On September 9, 2013, Forrest died of a stroke in a hospital in

Tilburg Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-lar ...

, Netherlands, aged 60.

Discography

Albums

* ''One Lover'' (

Ariola Records Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomera ...

, 1983)

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Forrest (Singer) 1953 births 2013 deaths 20th-century African-American male singers American emigrants to the Netherlands American dance musicians American male pop singers Dutch pop singers Musicians from Los Angeles Singers from Texas People from Galveston, Texas Singers from California 21st-century African-American people Ariola Records artists